My grandparents had a big throw blanket with a picture of Jesus on it. At first there was nothing sacred involved. Eventually, it moved from the couch to be tacked up on the wall like a tapestry. My grandfather appreciated the idea of Jesus watching over the family. The throw was a symbol for that. When he was laid out in his casket for visitation (what some call a wake), the backdrop of the throw made a different point. “He... Read more
Earth is more than the planet on which we live. It is the word we use for soil. We may say it is ground. We also use it referring to humanity in relation to our environment. Being a system of systems within systems, we can say as Galileo is rumored to have done under his breath, “It moves.” While I do not subscribe to the Gaia hypothesis, I agree there is more going on than our best minds can imagine.... Read more
I was awakened by the innkeeper’s servant. She was a young girl who had been sent to clean my wounds again. I remembered the bandits then. The girl jumped as I cried out and overturned the water bowl she was using. “How did I get here?” I asked her. The girl went to get the innkeeper. He ordered her to finish what she was doing while he spoke to me. I asked him how I got to the inn. “You... Read more
I am happy to announce that my memoir The Sun Still Shines has been published. You can follow the link to order the book. It is also available in electronic format from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Why I Wrote This Book and What I Hope It Will Do I wrote this book for the sake of clergy and church leaders who are fellow sufferers with me in addiction. There is hope to recover. But it will challenge everything you... Read more
The danger of disaffiliation is not smaller churches, budgets, and a smaller denomination. The danger is a littleness of souls that is more difficult to overcome. Problems that would not exist except for the actions of another person leads a person from immediate injury to resentment. Nurtured resentments lead to littleness of the soul in those who do not overcome them. I would even argue that resentments do not require injury merely the perception of injury to exist. Feeding Souls... Read more
Aristotle claimed the best form of government is a monarchy while the worst is tyranny. While many believe he was following his teacher Plato, I think they miss the point. The American Revolution proved one group of people’s monarch is another’s tyrant. Recently, someone asked me what I thought John Wesley would say about the splintering among United Methodists and the polarization in our society. “He would probably say,” I began, “it is what we deserve for rebelling against a... Read more
Only 50% of Americans say a definite yes when asked about the existence of God. Since about 7% claim God does not exist that means there are a lot of people questioning the existence of a creator/supreme being deity. One friend asked me if the problem is in defining the meaning of God. He challenged me to define the word God and give three examples. I refrained from answering by the trinity. It was not what he was saying. I... Read more
Young clergy know certain days are going to be important in their work. Ascension Day (or Sunday) is not one of them. It goes without saying Christmas and Easter are important. Ash Wednesday and Pentecost may be important to some lay members. But All Saints’ Day and Ascension usually are not unless one serves a rather “high church” congregation. The older I get though I realize more these days are important to me. One reason All Saints’ Day is important... Read more
Is it correct to call clergy the designated readers of the church? “My therapist tells me I have PTSD from the church.” A former youth director spoke openly with me many years ago. “These people don’t read the Bible,” he said. He was being very open with me a pastor in The United Methodist Church about his experience. I never had any experience with his congregation, but I thought I understood his point. I am not sure his temperament was... Read more
Theology is speculative without some sense of practice. Liberation theology is the most practical of theological families. Yet, the practices most often employed are political and social in nature. I am a liberationist. I am also a pastor. How do the two aspects work together. Dutiful pastors are generalists and busy with many tasks. Some pastors believe their work is primarily the Sunday sermon. A good reason to think this way is due to the fact that is when we... Read more
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